Twenty-five years since end of gay ban, I'm proud I pushed the accelerator of change
I left the House of Commons on 12 December last year, deeply moved by the quiet dignity of our LGBT+ veterans who listened to the Government set out its plans for the financial reparations which aim to bring the justice and comfort that's long deserved.
The battle to unravel the damage done by the 'gay ban' has defined every day of my life for more years than I care to remember.
In the 1990s I served in many troubled parts of the world, protecting the peace and freedom my family were denied.
I played my role in enabling our Armed Forces to protect the vulnerable and those who lived in poverty and fear, but in those years I saw shocking acts of hardship and cruelty inflicted upon some of our own.
In this campaign for justice, I have come face to face with some of those I saw marched away by the military police.
I have always had great pride in the community of LGBT+ veterans I serve.
They met all the challenges of operations in the Falklands, Northern Ireland, Gulf, Balkans and so many other conflicts and contingencies. Still, they were at times treated as criminals, simply for being LGBT+.
This weekend and on this anniversary, I reflect upon the battle for equality and how far we have come as the Armed Forces.
Today, my pride in achievement justifiably extends to our Government, service chiefs and a nation that has finally recognised the courage LGBT+ veterans have shown and restored them to their equal place of honour.
In the days, months and years after the ban was lifted I fought for better conditions of service for LGBT+ personnel like a tiger.
In June each year, when I see them step out at Pride in London, with boots bulled and medals shining, I feel a sense of personal pride that, back in the day, I stamped my feet on the accelerator of change!
It is never easy being the first among equals.
In my time it was a choice of career or campaign, but I have no regrets.
Rarely in our lives are we lucky enough to see so clearly and enduringly what those moments of grit have achieved.
Today LGBT+ families are warmly welcomed in the service family.
It is something our Armed Forces should be immensely proud of and it's been a long journey.
The outcome can never be perfect.
For the veterans most affected by this wretched policy, the reparations payments on offer will feel meagre compared to all that they have lost, however, this is still a moment of recognition that will last for their lifetimes.
The financial support will bring a little comfort but it may not last quite so long.
There was a time when talking about our historic treatment of LGBT+ service personnel and veterans was muted by the lack of justice and resolution.
This year I will quietly, raise a glass of port in celebration of the return of LGBT+ veterans to the Armed Forces family.
This year I hope that we can all celebrate together, in the knowledge that those with a duty to uphold the Armed Forces Covenant, have done their duty.
I will clink my glass with my husband Adam, who has supported me on every step of the journey, alone as the partner of a serviceman in years when he was forcibly invisible and who later stood by my side as a champion of this cause.
Craig Jones is a former Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy and co-founder of the LGBT+ military charity Fighting With Pride.
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